WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is undergoing what he calls a “semiannual physical” at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday.
This visit, previously announced by the White House, coincides with Trump’s preparations for a trip to the Middle East following a ceasefire agreement in the Israel-Hamas conflict. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the visit as a “routine yearly check-up,” despite Trump already having his annual physical in April.
The White House did not provide details on why a yearly checkup was scheduled six months after the last one. However, in a Thursday press briefing, Trump called it a “semiannual physical.”
“I’m meeting with the troops and also going to do a kind of semiannual physical, which I do,” Trump informed reporters in the Oval Office. “I believe I’m in great shape, but I’ll report back.”
The president is scheduled to return to the White House after his visit to Walter Reed, which is located in Bethesda, Maryland.
Trump’s April physical indicated that he was “fully fit” for his role as commander in chief. The three-page summary from his doctor, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, noted that Trump lost 20 pounds since a medical exam in June 2020 and mentioned Trump’s “active lifestyle” as significantly benefiting his health at age 79.
In July, the White House revealed Trump underwent a medical checkup after experiencing “mild swelling” in his lower legs and was diagnosed with a condition common among older adults that causes blood to pool in the veins. Tests by the White House medical team found Trump has chronic venous insufficiency, a condition where the veins’ valves, which normally assist blood movement against gravity, gradually lose functionality.
At the April physical, Trump also passed a short screening test to assess different brain functions.
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